You see the wisdom of their advice. They shift your balance; follow their advice and they shift your balance again.
The conversation bolsters you. Clear a condition or 2-fatigue.
They feel at ease offering their opinion. They clear a condition or 2-fatigue.
You can study with a master to learn techniques from any training and adapt them to your own. When you start learning a technique of a training you don’t have with a willing teacher, roll, taking +1 for each “yes” to the following questions:
Is your Unity greater than zero?
Have you studied this technique before?
Has someone used this technique against you in real battle?
On a hit, you learn the technique; shift your balance towards Unity. On a 7-9, learning it was trying; mark a condition and write its name by the technique. You can’t use the technique if you have that condition marked. When you master the technique, erase the condition’s name.
On a miss, you’re struggling to incorporate the lesson into your training; you must find a new master to continue your training.
When you try to connect with an NPC via a shared culture, roll with Heritage. On a hit, they see you; shift your balance toward Heritage. On a 7-9, choose 1; on a 10+, choose 2:
They accept you; they cease hostilities or antagonism toward you.
They grow to like you (if they already accept you); they agree to help you with a problem.
They reveal their background; you learn their principle.
They offer solace; you clear a condition.
They reveal a vulnerability; you become Prepared to deal with them.
On a miss, you mix up your heritages in a terrible way; the NPC mocks you or gets offended by your slip. Mark a condition and shift your balance away from Heritage.
Do you believe your ward listens to you more often than not?
Have you recently protected them or helped them with a problem?
Is there an immediate threat to your ward that you are aware of?
Take a 10+ without rolling on any move to defend or protect them
Track them down even if they are hidden or avoiding you
Figure out what they’re up to without them knowing
Decide you’re the only one who can keep them safe; shift your balance twice toward Self-Reliance and keep them as your ward
Decide they can handle life without your protection; shift your balance twice toward Trust and switch your ward to a new person
Choose a goal you have for your adversary:
Take -1 ongoing to plead with, trick, or guide and comfort your adversary.
You can change your adversary any time you mark a condition, or at the end of each session. When you do, choose an appropriate goal, and the GM shifts your balance twice to match your new adversary and your new goal.
When you successfully accomplish your goal and defeat your adversary, take a growth advancement and choose a new adversary.
When you enter into a fight against your adversary, clear all fatigue and become Inspired. When you select any combat approach against your adversary, mark fatigue to roll with conditions marked instead of your normal stat.
Did I uphold a responsibility? If yes, shift balance toward Role and clear a condition
Did I break a prohibition? If yes, shift balance toward Freedom. Mark the box to the right of any one prohibition you broke during the session. If that box is already marked, cross out the prohibition—it doesn’t mean anything to you to break it again.
Did you make amends directly to a person you harmed?
Are you at your center
Did someone honestly thank you for your efforts or forgive you for your mistakes?
Clear a condition
Mark growth
Shift your Balance toward Connection
You obtain an additional 1-resource
You nab your goodies quietly; your lineage is none the wiser
You steel yourself for what you’re doing; avoid marking a condition
Your center and your balance begin play at +3 Stability; you can still shift your balance by one step when you make your character.
When you mark a condition, you may choose to shift your balance toward Stability instead.
When you lose your balance toward Stability, instead of choosing one option from the normal list, choose one option from this list:
Surrender to your opposition and clear all your conditions
Flee the scene and clear all your fatigue
Stumble or trip and draw attention; give an opponent an opportunity to act freely against you, and give an ally an opening to safely flee
Afterward, you may choose whether or not you shift your center toward Stability.
Once per session, when you decide to risk everything to overcome a difficult or dangerous opponent or challenge, shift your balance toward Risk and roll with Risk. On a hit, choose 2. On a 10+, also clear two conditions or all fatigue. On a miss, mark a condition and choose 1.
Hold 1; spend your hold to take a 12+ on any move in pursuit of your goal
Become Empowered for the rest of the scene
Ignore the next condition and 2-fatigue you suffer this scene
Ignore the next time that shifting your balance causes you to lose your balance this scene; instead, don’t shift your balance at all
If you fail to overcome the opponent or challenge, choose 1:
Mark a condition; you cannot clear that condition until you lose your balance, are taken out, or enough time passes
Lose your balance toward Risk (no matter where it currently is)
Your Reputation reflects how your base sees you and your deeds; at character creation, pick one of your backgrounds as your base.
If you deny a callout from your base, take +2 to your roll. If you resist shifting your balance against your base, take -2 to your roll.
You are trying to expand your Reputation to reach a new target community; at character creation, pick one background as your target.
Some backgrounds may stand against your Reputation as opposition. At character creation, you do not yet have opposition.
Mark Renown when you publicly...
When you fill your Renown track, clear it and increase your Reputation score by +1. If your Reputation score would go to +4, instead take a growth advancement.
When you wield your Reputation, mark 1-fatigue and add your Reputation score to your stat on an appropriate move toward someone from your base. On a 7-9, throwing your weight around has a cost; someone from your base who’s heard about this issue or your actions comes to you with a request. Honor it or mark a condition.
On a miss, you anger a powerful NPC from your base; mollify them or lose -1 Reputation.
On a 12+, you receive additional effects depending of your Reputation nature:
Leader: When you get a 12+ on plead, they will continue to act as you have requested for as long as they possibly can
Warrior: When you get a 12+ on intimidate pick two they cannot choose instead of one
Protector: When you get a 12+ on guide and comfort: towards an NPC, they cannot shut you down; towards a PC who embraces your comfort, they clear all conditions or all fatigue
Your target background becomes part of your base when you have a powerful advocate from that background, and you have performed an impressive deed that resonates with that background. When your target becomes part of your base, pick a new target—you cannot pick from your opposition. Then, pick a remaining non-base background to join your opposition.
You are adept at seeing the hard realities of a situation and giving voice to them, even if others don’t want to hear.
When you speak a hard truth to an NPC who needs to hear it, mark 1-fatigue and roll with Integrity. On a hit, they will see the truth you put before them and act accordingly. On a 10+, choose 2. On a 7–9, choose 1.
They see the truth right now; otherwise, it will take some time for them to see the truth
They don’t hold animosity toward you; otherwise, they blame you for shattering their illusions
They don’t mark any conditions; otherwise, they are hurt and must mark two conditions
On a miss, they reveal a shocking truth complicating what you had believed to be the truth, and they shift your balance accordingly.
When you enter into a community space (a temple, a town square, a city hall, a school, etc.), mark 1-fatigue to learn one of that community’s primary balance principles—the values that it generally places highly— and how it visibly expresses that principle right now. You can treat any member of that community as having that principle at their normal balance rating for the purposes of calling someone out.
When you act in accordance with that community and its principle while in its spaces or around its people, you may live up to your Society principle as if it was that community’s principle at your current rating.
When you call someone out to get them to act in accordance with their society, you can roll with your Society principle instead of naming and rolling with theirs.
An impressive invention → a profitable company [Growth vs Restraint]
An ideological treatise → a philosophical movement [Complexity vs Certainty]
A unique fighting style → a training center [Study vs Action]
A major discovery → a research community [Knowledge vs Utility]
A set of healing processes → an aid organization [Intervention vs Reaction]
Did you accomplish a significant goal of your faction? If yes, clear all faction dissent.
Is the faction’s dissent 3 or higher? If yes, increase faction dissent by 1.
A secretive order
A military force
A peacekeeping organization
A monastic sect
A political faction
An underground network
Do good in the world
Defend the institution
Obey the institution
Prevent destruction
Protect the vulnerable
Subdue dangers
Discover and share the truth
Handle problems decisively
…you failed at a crucial moment; if only you had been more capable. (Underline Afraid.)
…you made the wrong decision; if only you had been wiser. (Underline Guilty.)
…you were betrayed by someone; if only you hadn’t trusted them. (Underline Insecure.)
…you lost control of yourself; if only you could’ve kept calm. (Underline Angry.)
…you were absent when it mattered; if only you had paid attention. (Underline Troubled.)
Encountering a similar situation and playing it through differently this time.
Confronting someone from the time of the tragedy, telling them how you truly feel, and letting them tell you how they truly feel.
Using a Moment of Balance.
Losing your Balance by your own choice.
When you reveal that you have sabotaged a building, device, or vehicle right as it becomes relevant, mark fatigue and roll with PASSION. On a hit, your work pays off, creating an opportunity for you and your allies at just the right time. On a 7–9, the opportunity is fleeting—act fast to stay ahead of the consequences. On a miss, your action was ill-judged and something or someone you care about is hurt as collateral damage.
When you verbally needle someone by finding the weaknesses in their armor, roll
with FOCUS. On a hit, ask 1 question. On a 7–9, they ask 1 of you as well:
What is your principle?
What do you need to prove?
What could shake your certainty?
Whom do you care about more than you let on?
Anyone who lies or stonewalls marks 2-fatigue. On a miss, your attack leaves you
exposed; they may ask you any one question from the list, and you must answer honestly.
When you have equal or fewer conditions marked than your highest principle,
mark fatigue to push down your feelings for the rest of the scene and ignore
condition penalties until the end of the scene. When you resist an NPC shifting
your balance, mark a condition to roll with conditions marked (max +4). You
cannot then choose to clear a condition by immediately proving them wrong.
When you guide and comfort someone in an awkward, understated, or idiosyncratic fashion, roll with PASSION instead of HARMONY if you mark Insecure or Insecure is already marked.
Take +1 to PASSION (max +3).
Your best friend is small, fuzzy, and dependable. Unlike all your other relationships, this one is simple and true. You can understand and communicate with your small companion and—although they may give you a hard time now and again—they are always there when you need them most. Whenever your pal could help you push your luck, mark fatigue to roll with CREATIVITY instead of PASSION. If your pet ever gets hurt, mark a condition.
When you commit to a plan you’ve proposed to the group, roll with CREATIVITY; take a -1 for each of your companions who isn’t on board. On a 10+, hold 2. On a 7–9, hold 1. You can spend your hold 1-for-1 while the plan is being carried out to overcome or evade an obstacle, create an advantage, or neutralize a danger; if any of your companions abandon you while the plan is underway, you must mark a condition. On a miss, hold 1, but your plan goes awry when you encounter surprising opposition.
Once per session, when you are taken out, shift your balance towards center to stay up for one more combat exchange. After that exchange ends, you become helpless, unconscious, or otherwise incapable of continuing on, and are taken out as normal.
When you evaluate a friendly NPC’s plan to get something done, roll with FOCUS. On a hit, the GM tells you how you can drastically improve the chances of success; get it done, and they’re sure to come through on top. On a 7–9, the problems inherent in the plan are fairly serious; the NPC will be resistant to making the necessary changes. On a miss, something about the plan throws you for a loop; the GM tells you what obvious danger the NPC is ignoring…or what they’re hiding about their intent.
When you tell an NPC the blunt, honest truth about what you really think of them and their plans, roll with FOCUS. On a hit, they’ll look upon your honesty favorably; they’ll answer a non-compromising question honestly and grant you a simple favor. On a 7–9, they also give you an honest assessment of how they see you; mark a condition. On a miss, you’re a bit too honest—they’re either furious or genuinely hurt.
When you reach out in mind or spirit to a far-away NPC, mark 1-fatigue and roll with HARMONY. On a hit, your message gets through to them; choose 1. On a 10+, it’s loud and clear: choose 2.
You cry for help; they hear you and rush to your location
You whisper a question to them; they whisper an answer back
You send a premonition of danger seeking them; they forearm and prepare themself to face the worst
You let them see something you see; they return memories and knowledge of that sight
On a miss, your reach extends beyond your original aim; you’ve attracted dangerous attention.
When you assess a situation, you can ask one of the following as an extra question, even on a miss:
Who or what here has been touched by spirits?
How can I bring about peace here?
When you walk calmly into the middle of a fierce conflict and plead with the fighters to stop, mark fatigue to ensure that they care what you think and listen to you. On a miss, the conflict burns far hotter than you had imagined, and now you’re dead in the crosshairs of the angry fighters; brace yourself.
When you call someone out to live up to their principle by convincing them that their destiny is (or can be) different than they imagined, on a hit, they must do it or mark two conditions. On a miss, their demand hits all the harder. Mark two conditions or act as they request.
Once per session, when you rely on your skills and training to mirror an act from a legend, myth, or story, treat it as if you had rolled a 10+. Then, no matter the result, the GM shifts your balance toward the principle best embodied by the lore and stories you’re drawing on.
When you try to intimidate someone in order to protect the vulnerable or weak, roll with HARMONY instead of PASSION.
When you pursue a genuine moment of respite, roll with HARMONY. On a hit, shift your balance as you choose. On a 10+, you also gain some new insight; ask the GM a question and they will answer honestly. On a 7-9, your self-indulgence creates an opportunity for your enemies or rivals; the GM will tell you how. On a miss, you fixate on your past with disastrous results; tell the GM what old conflict mars your peace and shift your balance twice away from center.
When you go looking for help from an old friend in the area who you haven’t seen recently, name them and roll with HARMONY. On a hit, you find them and they can assist you. On a 7-9, pick 1. On a 10+, both.
they aren’t caught up in their own problems
you don’t owe them a favor or apology
On a miss, your old enemies were looking for you too; the GM will tell you how you know they are near.
When you openly confront someone to get the truth, roll with HARMONY. On a hit, ask 2; the character can say or do what they like, but their player will answer honestly. On a 7-9, their player gets to ask a question you must answer honestly as well.
Are you telling the truth?
What are you really feeling?
What do you intend to do next?
On a miss, the confrontation goes awry; they inflict a condition on you and ask one question from the list of you; you must answer honestly
Take +1 HARMONY (max +3).
You can flow and adapt, formless and shapeless. During an exchange, after you roll the stance move, you can mark 1-fatigue to select a basic technique from a different approach than the one you chose. (You still must pay all other costs of that technique.)
When you try to calm an immediate conflict between two NPCs, remind them what they have in common and roll with HARMONY. On a hit, they come to terms, for now. They won’t pursue their conflict until an outside influence reignites it or time passes (a day or more). On a 10+, you have a real opportunity to get them to put aside their conflict for good; the GM will tell you what you must do. On a miss, you inadvertently highlight their differences and fan the conflict—you cannot use this move on them again.
You are good at reading people’s intentions and gestures in the heat of battle. When you defend and maneuver against a foe whose principle you know, mark fatigue to roll with HARMONY instead of FOCUS.
You have a specific weapon, tool, or item which you believe is crucial to your training and abilities. You can roll with Harmony instead of Focus when you use the item to rely on your skills and training. If you roll a miss, the item is damaged—in addition to any other consequences—and needs repairs. If the item is damaged again before you get a chance to repair it, it is destroyed. You are Impaired without it, until someone helps you overcome the loss; choose a new move to replace this one when you finally move on.
When you guide and comfort someone who shares a training or a background with you by talking about what you have in common, on a hit you become Inspired, and if they embrace your guidance and comfort, they become Inspired as well.
When you watch a person carefully to figure them out, roll with FOCUS. On a 7–9, hold 1. On a 10+, hold 2. Spend your hold, 1-for-1, to ask their player questions while you observe or interact with them; they must answer honestly.
Are you telling the truth?
What are you truly feeling?
What do you really want right now?
What are you worried about?
What are you about to do?
You have some badge or symbol of authority from your background, something that makes you someone to be listened to, if not well-liked or entirely respected. When you give an NPC an order based on that authority and their recognition of it, roll with PASSION. On a hit, they do what you say. On a 7–9, they choose 1:
They do it, but in lackluster fashion
They say they need something first to be able to do it
They do it, but they’re going to talk to your superiors
On a miss, the authority of your badge doesn’t sway them; they do as they please and you take -1 forward against them.
When you are suspicious of someone, write their name here:
You cannot write another until you have made them admit their guilt and misdeeds in front of an audience, or until you no longer seek to uncover their secrets.
When they admit their guilt and misdeeds in front of an audience, clear their name from this move. When you no longer seek to uncover their secrets, you may mark a condition to clear their name from this move.
When you expose that person’s lies or wrong-doing, clear all your fatigue and up to two conditions. When you try to intimidate them into admitting their real crimes by using actual evidence, you can eliminate one additional option from the list on any hit before they choose.
Take +1 FOCUS (max +3).
When you have a total of 8 between conditions marked, highest principle, and fatigue marked, take +1 ongoing to all moves.
Mark Angry to use an additional basic or mastered technique when you advance and attack, even on a miss. While Angry is marked, take +1 ongoing to intimidate others
When you rely on your skills and training to dangerously smash your way through walls or other obstacles, roll with PASSION instead of FOCUS.
When you assess a situation, you can always ask, “Who or what here is most vulnerable to me?”, even on a miss. Remember to take +1 ongoing to act in accordance with the answer
When you defend and maneuver against a foe whose balance principle you know, you may mark fatigue to roll with CREATIVITY instead of FOCUS.
When you provoke an NPC opponent into attacking you, roll with PASSION. On a hit, they’re coming at you specifically. On a 10+, you’re ready for them; clear a condition or become Prepared. On a miss, they take advantage of your provocation to strike a blow where you least expect it.
When you are engaged with a large or powerful foe, mark fatigue to advance and attack with FOCUS instead of PASSION. If you do, you become Prepared and may also choose to use Retaliate as if it were an advance and attack technique
When you trick an NPC by assuming a silly disguise or fake identity, mark Insecure to treat your roll as if it was a 12+. If Insecure is already marked, mark 2-fatigue instead.
Take +1 FOCUS (max +3)
When you visit a new inhabited location you might know about, roll with HARMONY. On a 7–9, ask 1. On a 10+, ask 2. PCs who interact with one of the answers clear 1-fatigue or mark growth.
What’s the best local pastime?
What interesting locations are nearby?
Who is the most famous person here?
What special tradition is prized by locals?
What’s the most interesting legend locals recount about this place?
On a miss, tell the GM what you expected to find; they will tell you how this place is different!
You have an animal companion large enough to ride. Name them and choose their species:
Sky bison, polar bear-dog, eel-hound, cat-gator, elephant-mandrill, gemsbok-bull, shirshu, komodo-rhino, sabertooth moose-lion, flying boar, walrus-yak, flying fish-opotamus
When you fight beside your animal companion, mark 1-fatigue to become Favored for an exchange
When something hurts your animal companion, mark a condition
When you and your friends travel via your animal companion, everyone clears all fatigue
When you use Seize a Position, foes must mark 2-fatigue to block your movement.
When you spend time talking to the locals about their problems, roll with HARMONY. On a hit, you hear about the most significant and serious problem at hand; the GM will tell you who it affects and what is the cause. On a 10+, you can ask a follow up question about the problem or cause; you take +1 ongoing when you act on the answer. On a miss, you wind up creating a whole new problem with your questions and ideas
When you stand up to an adult by telling them their rules are stupid, roll with PASSION. On a hit, they are surprised by your argument; they must shift their balance or offer you a way forward, past the rules. On a 10+, both. On a miss, your efforts to move them only reveal how strongly they believe in the system—mark a condition as their resistance leaves you reeling.
When you secretly pocket something owned by someone undeserving, roll with HARMONY. On a hit, you swipe something from them (your choice) without them noticing you took it. On a 7–9, the thing you took isn’t exactly what you thought it was; the GM will tell you how. On a miss, you grab the goods, but they notice—and pursue—as soon as you exit the scene.
When you are engaged in combat with superior opposition and openly refuse to back down or flee, roll with HARMONY for the rest of the battle whenever you defend and maneuver; you cannot choose to escape the scene by using Seize a Position for the rest of the fight.
Take +1 to HARMONY (max +3).
When you live up to your principle while you have 3+ conditions marked, ignore your condition penalties. When you live up to your principle while you have 5 conditions marked, don’t mark fatigue.
When you put on a disguised or physically altered persona to fool a community into thinking you’re two different people, roll with CREATIVITY. On a hit, people mostly unfamiliar with you won’t connect your two personas. On a 7–9, this is the last time you can pull this trick without them catching on. On a miss, someone misidentifies you when you switch in a way that causes more trouble for you.
When you advance and attack against a group of foes—or a foe who has previously defeated you—roll with HARMONY instead of PASSION.
When you lose your balance in a battle, instead of choosing one of the normal options, you may instead sacrifice yourself for your companions. If you do, your companions have a chance to get away without issue, and you are taken out (and possibly captured). You also choose 1:
Leave a clue your companions can follow
Throw your companions one vulnerable object
Provoke an opponent, shifting their balance twice
When you size someone up, roll with FOCUS. On a 7–9, ask one. On a 10+, ask two.
what are your weaknesses / strengths?
how can I show you dominance / submission?
what do you intend to do next?
what do you wish I’d do right now?
On a miss, they notice you watching them; they may ask you 1 question from the list.
You can learn techniques from other skills and trainings, as long as you have a teacher. You can learn up to three such techniques, total. Take a +1 on the training move to learn such techniques.
When you assess a situation while taking the time to use your extraordinary skills to absorb hidden or deep information, mark 1-fatigue, roll with FOCUS instead of CREATIVITY, and become Prepared.
When you throw a boastful challenge at an opponent before a fight, roll with PASSION. On a hit, the challenge lands; if you win the fight, choose 1 from below. But your challenge goads them to impressive heights; they may choose 1 extra technique in every exchange for the duration of the fight. On a 10+, clear all fatigue at the end of the fight if you are victorious.
If you win, choose 1: your opponent must…
teach you a technique of theirs, or help you master one you already know.
give you answers or an item of your choice.
acknowledge your superiority; shift your balance twice towards Excellence.
take your side in a future conflict.
On a miss, they dismiss your challenge and refuse to fight; they inflict a condition on you.
When you trick someone by using your skills to disappear and reappear somewhere else within the same scene, roll with FOCUS instead of CREATIVITY.
Take +1 FOCUS (to a max of +3)
When you advance & attack or evade & observe with fewer conditions marked than your highest principle, you can roll with Focus instead of the normal stat.
When you watch someone interact with another person, roll with FOCUS. On a 7-9, ask 1. On a 10+, ask 2. Take +1 ongoing to act on the answers.
Are you lying right now?
What are you most afraid of
How are you vulnerable to me?
On a miss, you can’t get a good read on them; mark a condition in frustration.
When you trick someone by provoking them through their conditions, roll with their conditions marked instead of CREATIVITY
When you choose to use dirty tactics—targeting an innocent your foe is trying to protect, throwing sand in their face, etc.—at the start of a combat exchange, instead of using one of the standard approaches say what you do and take a 10+ instead of rolling the stance move; you become Favored for this exchange and may choose your techniques from any approach. At the end of the exchange, your opponent may call out your disgraceful behavior and lack of integrity to shift your balance twice.
When you plead with an NPC or guide and comfort someone by flattering them and empathizing with them, mark 1-fatigue to roll with CREATIVITY instead of HARMONY.
When you defend and maneuver and choose to use Seize a Position to escape the scene, foes must mark an additional 2-fatigue to stop you, and you may bring any allies within reach when you retreat.
When you resist an NPC shifting your balance, roll +2 instead of +0.
When you assess a situation, add these questions to the list. You may always ask one question from these options, even on a miss.
What here is most valuable or interesting to me?
Who or what is most vulnerable to me?
Who here is in control/wealthiest/has the most power?
When you goad or provoke an NPC into foolhardy action, say what you want them to do and roll with PASSION. On a 10+, they do it. On a 7–9, they can choose 1 instead:
They do it, but more intensely than expected—you’re taken off guard.
They do it, but more carefully than expected—they gain an advantage against you.
They don’t do it, but they embarrass themselves—they mark a condition.
They don’t do it, but only catch themself at the last minute—they stumble and give you an opportunity.
On a miss, they are provoked to take harsh action, directly against you, in a way you’re ill-prepared to counter.
Take +1 CREATIVITY (max +3).
When you behave in a way that shocks and unsettles people from one of your backgrounds, roll with CREATIVITY to intimidate them or push your luck.
When you guide and comfort an NPC by apologizing and honestly promising to make amends for the harm they have suffered, roll with FOCUS instead of HARMONY. If they choose not to open up to you, you do not take +1 forward against them. If they choose to open up to you, take +1 ongoing to attempts to take action to make amends.
When you make over, disguise, and/or coach your friends to fit in with a specific crowd appropriate to one of your backgrounds, roll with CREATIVITY. On a 10+, the performance is flawless; you gain access to wherever you wanted to fit in while attracting little suspicion. On a 7–9, you fool nearly everyone; there’s only a single gatekeeper who asks any questions or stands in your way. On a miss, the only way to get the access you desired is for one of your friends to take on a uncomfortable, dangerous, or attention-grabbing role.
Your upbringing expanded your horizons, skillsets, and contacts. Choose another training and another background.
When you shift someone else’s balance through kindness or understanding, mark 1-fatigue to shift it an additional time.
When you rely on your skills and training, if you roll a miss, you may express true humility in the face of difficulty to mark 3-fatigue and treat your roll as a 7-9.
When you assess a situation, you may always ask one of the following questions, even on a miss:
Who here could be a friend or ally?
Who here is most in need of help?
Does anything here belong to my past? If so, what?
When you offer a chance to stop fighting and talk to an opponent after you have advanced & attacked during an exchange, you may plead with them using Passion instead of Harmony. After you plead, you may shift your balance one step, even on a miss.
When you encourage someone to choose something to hope for while guiding and comforting them, if they name what they hope for out loud then they and you clear 1-fatigue in addition to any other effects, even on a miss.
The first time you advance & attack in a combat, you may roll with CREATIVITY instead of PASSION. The first time you evade & observe in a combat, clear 2-fatigue. The first time you defend & maneuver in a combat, become Favored.
When you give in to the demands of another character after honestly disagreeing with them, you may clear a condition or 2-fatigue, or you may shift your balance.
When you let an NPC shift your balance, or go along with another character calling on you to live up to your principle, you may clear 1-fatigue.
When you spend plenty of time brooding on your problems, roll with CREATIVITY. On a hit, you come to a new insight about your problems and how you might resolve them. Ask the GM one question about how you might resolve a problem facing you; the GM will answer you honestly, and you take +1 ongoing while following their advice. On a 7– 9, one of your other problems grows larger in your mind as you brood; mark a condition, GM’s choice. On a miss, you can only see the worst parts of yourself and the world around you; mark a condition of the GM’s choice, and shift your balance as the GM chooses.
Even if you’re bound or captured, you can usually find a way to use your skills and training, whether through hidden weapons, incredibly subtle bending, or tiny gadgets. When you rely on your skills and training while bound, gagged, or otherwise restrained, roll with CREATIVITY instead of FOCUS. When you are Trapped, you need only mark a combination of two conditions or fatigue to escape.
When you stand between a dangerous opponent you are engaged with and an ally within reach in combat, mark 1-fatigue to force your foe to focus on you instead of your ally. Your opponent must mark 1-fatigue and become Impaired to target your ally with a technique while you are engaged with the opponent. If your ally escapes the combat or the opponent is defeated, clear a condition.
Take +1 PASSION (to a max of +3).
You may mark 1-fatigue to use Seize a Position as a basic technique when you advance & attack. If you do, you cannot try to escape.
When you speak openly and directly about your negative emotions or experiences while guiding and comforting another person, on a hit you may mark 1-fatigue and clear a condition. If they shut you down, they do not inflict a condition on you, but you may still shift their balance.
Once at the start of each combat exchange, before any combatants have chosen their approach, you can mark 1-fatigue to give an ally within reach a positive status (except Empowered) that you already have. You do not lose the same status when you give it to your ally. If they already have that status, they gain another positive status of your choice (except Empowered).
When you openly and playfully compliment or flirt with a susceptible NPC, you may trick an NPC with HARMONY instead of CREATIVITY. On a 7–9, if they choose to stumble, they must also mark a condition. On a miss, you must mark 1-fatigue and follow up with more compliments to ensure they don’t realize you tried to trick them.
When you gain a positive status, you may mark 2-fatigue to take a second appropriate to the situation. When you inflict a negative status, you may mark 2-fatigue to inflict a second appropriate to the situation.
When you assess the situation, you may always mark 1-fatigue to ask “What here can I use to ?”, as an additional question, even on a miss.
When you guide and comfort someone by asking them to slow down and think, roll with Creativity instead of Harmony. If they embrace your guidance and comfort, both you and they shift your balance toward center.
When you watch someone to discover their goals and intent, roll with Creativity. On a 7-9, you may learn 2 of the following; on a 10+, you may learn 3 of the following:
Their balance principle
Their immediate goal
Their most pressing concern
Their long term investment
On a miss, you inadvertently reveal your own goals to someone watching; they learn 3 of the above from you.
When you try to alter an NPC’s perspective, roll with Creativity. On a hit, they adopt the balance principle of your choice at the same value as their current value until the situation changes. On a 10+, you may also shift their balance one step. On a miss, they hear the wrong message; the GM may change their principle to whatever they choose, permanently or temporarily as they choose.
When you assess the situation among a group of discontented people, roll with Focus instead of Creativity.
You are adept at receiving and giving promises. When someone makes a promise to do something to you, mark 1-fatigue to know with certainty whether they truly mean it. When you make a promise to someone to get them to do what you want, roll with Harmony. On a hit, they accept your promise but expect you to perform. On a 10+, they’ll let you handle it but check back in later. On a 7-9, they’ll try to go with you and ensure you follow through. On a miss, the promise you’ve made isn’t enough; they want you to promise more, much more, than you are comfortable with. If you fail to fulfill a promise within a reasonable timeframe (decided by the GM at the end of a session of play), word gets out of your untrustworthiness; anyone from a relevant background won’t trust you at all until you redeem yourself.
When an NPC calls on you to live up to your principle or attempts to shift your principle, if you don’t deny or resist, you may clear a condition or 2-fatigue, your choice.
When you guide and comfort someone and roll a hit, you learn their principle. If you call someone out after you learned their principle in this way, take +1 to the roll.
When you try to plead with an NPC, you may mark 2-fatigue to make them care what you think for the length of the move, even if they normally wouldn’t care.
Whenever you clear your last condition, you may return your balance to its Center. If you do, you may also clear your fatigue.
When your highest balance principle is +2 or higher, you suffer 1-fewer fatigue from an incoming blow during a combat exchange, but you also must mark an additional 2-fatigue to resist anyone shifting your balance.
Take +1 to Passion (max +3).
When you ask a trusted NPC for guidance on what you should do next, they will tell you what they think you should do. If you make a meaningful attempt to do what they told you to do, the GM will shift your balance accordingly and you may clear conditions equal to your highest balance principle.
When you push your luck while following someone else’s plan or orders, on a hit you may shift your balance away from center to avoid whatever cost the GM describes to you.
You have a third background, representing transitory skills and knowledge you pick up as you move through the world. At the end of a session, you can change your third background to match any community you significantly interacted with or learned from during the session. You can choose to change your third background to the same as any of your base two backgrounds, representing a different perspective on them. When you rely on your skills and training with your third background, roll with CREATIVITY instead of FOCUS.
Third background:
When you spend time openly and freely sharing your honest story with an interested audience, roll with CREATIVITY. On a hit, they’re engaged, interested, and willing to reciprocate. Ask them any 1 question about themselves or their story, and they’ll answer openly and honestly. On a 10+, you may also clear a condition or ask a second question. On a miss, someone listening reacts to your story in an unexpected and surprising way that puts you and your allies in danger.
When you roll the training move, take +1. If you roll a 10+ on the training move, take the new technique as Practiced instead of Learned.
When you push your luck by pulling off an over the top and creative stunt, mark 1-fatigue to roll with CREATIVITY nstead of PASSION.
When you carefully watch someone else’s fighting style, roll with CREATIVITY. On a 7–9, hold 2. On a 10+, hold 3. Spend your hold 1-for-1 when engaging with that person or that specific fighting style to:
Become Favored against that person or fighting style
Take advantage of a hole in that style’s defense to inflict an additional condition when making an attack
Inflict Impaired on your foe, until the end of an exchange or until they have a moment to recover
Warn an ally about the fighting style, making your ally Prepared
On a miss, you realize exactly how dangerous that fighter and fighting style really are; mark a condition.
CLEAR 1-FATIGUE
Mark 1-fatigue to ready yourself or your environment, assigning or clearing a fictionally appropriate status of nearby characters or yourself.
Steel yourself for their blows. Each time a foe inflicts fatigue, a condition, or shifts your balance in this exchange, inflict 1-fatigue on that foe.
Move to a new location. Engage/disengage with a foe, overcome a negative status or danger, establish an advantageous position, or escape the scene. Any foe engaged with you can mark 1-fatigue to block this technique.
Strike a foe in reach, forcing them to mark 2-fatigue, mark a condition, or shift their balance away from center, their choice. Mark 1-fatigue to instead choose to hammer them with your blows, forcing them to mark 2-fatigue, or strike where they are weak, inflicting a condition.
Impress or intimidate a foe. Choose an approach—your foe cannot choose to use that approach in the next exchange.
Mark 1-fatigue to destroy or destabilize something in the environment—possibly inflicting or overcoming a fictionally appropriate positive or negative status.
Mark 1-fatigue to challenge an engaged foe’s balance. Ask what their principle is; they must answer honestly. If you already know their principle, instead shift their balance away from center by questioning or challenging their beliefs or perspective.
Aid or impede a nearby character, inflicting an appropriate status.
Recenter yourself amidst the fray. Shift your balance toward one of your principles; the next time you live up to that principle, do not mark fatigue.
Pinpoint Aim
defend & maneuver
Take the time you need to line up a perfect shot; become Prepared. In the next exchange, if you advance and attack, roll with Focus or Passion, your choice. If you use Strike, you do not have to mark fatigue to choose what you inflict..
Tag Team
defend & maneuver
Work with an ally against the same foe; choose an engaged foe and an ally—double any fatigue, conditions, or balance shifts that ally inflicts upon that foe.
Divert
defend & maneuver
Step into the way of blows intended for allies; when any ally within reach suffers a blow this exchange, you can suffer it for them. If you also use Retaliate this exchange, deal an additional 1-fatigue each time.
Overwhelm
advance & attack
Throw a punch with all your weight behind it; mark 3-fatigue to inflict Stunned on an engaged foe.
Wall of Perfection
defend & maneuver
Create a perfect wall of defense around yourself and any allies directly next to you; mark 1-fatigue to block a single attack towards the wall or keep an enemy at bay who tries to penetrate the wall.
Disorient
advance & attack
Pummel an engaged foe with quick blows; mark 1-fatigue to shift their balance away from center.
Slide Around the Blow
evade & observe
You move perfectly, slipping past strikes and demanding an opponent’s attention; a foe you are engaged with must remain engaged with you and can only use techniques against you in the next exchange. If no foe is engaged with you, you may slip through the fight to engage a new foe (no foe may mark fatigue to stop you).
Steady Stance
defend & maneuver
Assume a strong, steady stance; any foes engaged with you who chose to advance and attack this exchange must mark 1-fatigue. Negate the first condition or negative status inflicted on you in this exchange. If no conditions or negative statuses were inflicted on you in this exchange, become Empowered for the next exchange.
Anticipate
evade & observe
Study a nearby foe to learn where their momentum will take them next. Declare the approach they are tending towards. In the next exchange, that foe must use that approach or mark a condition.
Patience
evade & observe
You wait until the perfect moment to act. Mark 1-fatigue to gain Prepared and use an advance and attack technique, paying all its costs as normal. Mark another fatigue to allow a companion engaged with that same foe to also use an advance and attack technique against them as well, also paying all costs as appropriate.
Feel the Flow
evade & observe
You take pause to feel the flow of battle and study the way your opposition fights. You become Favored. If they share a training with you, learn their principle. If you know their principle, clear 1-fatigue (even if they do not share the same training).
Lure
defend & maneuver
You put a foe off-balance by luring them in. Name a foe you lure; if they don’t attempt to either inflict fatigue, conditions, balance shifts, or negative statuses on you by the end of this exchange, they must mark 2-fatigue. If they do attempt to harm you this exchange, you become Favored for the next exchange.
Sweep the Leg
advance & attack
You attack where an enemy is weakest or most off-balance; if your foe has a total of 3 or more fatigue and conditions marked, inflict 2-fatigue. If your foe has fewer than 3 total fatigue and conditions marked, inflict 2-fatigue, but you must mark fatigue as well.
Break
evade & observe
Target a foe’s vulnerable equipment; render it useless or broken—possibly inflicting or overcoming a fictionally appropriate status (ex: Impaired).
Harmless Pins
evade & observe
Throw, release, or otherwise cast some kind of pin, knife, shard, fragment, or other pointed implement to stick a target’s clothes to a wall. Inflict Impaired on your target; if they are already Impaired, inflict Trapped.
It’s like we’re dancing
advance & attack
You make a series of attacks at your foe, not necessarily to hit them but to keep them focused on you and unable to do much else. Clear 1-fatigue and inflict Impaired on your foe.
Matched stance
evade and observe
Watch your foe and set yourself to match their stance and behavior. Before the next exchange, your foe must truthfully tell you what stance they will use. If you use the exact same stance, you become Favored and Prepared.
Stick to the Plan
evade and observe
Form a plan for next exchange. Become Prepared. Choose an approach, a primary technique, and a secondary technique. For each you use next exchange, clear 1-fatigue. If you use two, become Favored. If you use all three, clear a condition.
Direct
evade and observe
Shout out orders that help your allies position themselves effectively for the next exchange. Mark 1-fatigue and give every ally who can hear your orders Favored. Mark an additional 1-fatigue to give every ally who can hear your orders Inspired.
Drilled Form
evade and observe
Attack a foe with a series of well-trained, practiced strikes in a consistent pattern. Mark 1-fatigue to inflict 3-fatigue on your target. If you have used this technique before in this combat, it deals 1-fewer fatigue for each use that your target witnessed.
Watchful Protection
defend and maneuver
Prepare to save your comrades from dire straits. If any of your companions is taken out or loses their balance in this exchange, you may mark 2-fatigue to save them from the brink, nullifying the blow that would have taken them out or shifted their balance.